You have to hand it to Mac Jones. He knows no quit.
Drafted 15th overall by the New England Patriots in 2021, he was tasked with filling the biggest shoes in NFL history. Despite some promise early on, he failed to develop as hoped and after his third season was shipped to Jacksonville to back up Trevor Lawrence.
A year later, Jones was on the move again; this time, he was signed by the 49ers to serve as QB2 behind $265 million man Brock Purdy. It did not take long for him to see the field.
With Purdy suffering toe and shoulder injuries in San Francisco’s season opener and reportedly being set to miss up to five weeks, it was Jones’ turn to lead the 49ers offense in Week 2. And lead he did: the former first-round pick completed 26 of 36 pass attempts for 279 yards and a trio of touchdowns en route to a 26-21 win over the Saints. Yes, he did lose a fumble as well, but Sunday was still his best game since his early Patriots tenure.
Jones is not the only backup quarterback in the spotlight, though.
Joe Burrow injury opens door for Jake Browning
With Joe Burrow suffering a serious turf toe injury that is expected to knock him out at least three months, the Cincinnati Bengals’ season outlook took a drastic turn on Sunday. The NFL does not stop for anybody, though, and so the team will have to find a replacement.
That replacement already took 48 snaps in place of the injured Burrow in Week 2 against the Jaguars. Seven-year veteran Jake Browning went 7-for-13 for 76 yards with a touchdown, and also scored the game-winning points when he leapt over the goal line from one yard out.
Browning will get the first crack at leading the Bengals into what is an uncertain future. That is familiar territory for the 29-year-old, who already started seven games in place of an injured Burrow during the 2023 season.
Back then, he helped Cincinnati to a 4-3 record. A similar success rate would be welcome news to the team, and after its 2-0 start might even be enough to challenge for a playoff spot.
The Justin Fields resurgence is on hold
The New York Jets’ latest attempt at finding some stability at quarterback saw them sign former Bears first-round draft pick Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in March. Two starts into his tenure with the team, the question marks are already here.
Not only did Fields look significantly worse in his second game against Buffalo, he also left the eventual 30-10 loss early in the fourth quarter and was later diagnosed with a concussion. His status for Week 3 and beyond is now unclear, meaning that the Jets are already at risk of seeing yet another season slip out of their hands: at 0-2, they would insert veteran backup Tyrod Taylor into the starting lineup.
With a game against a potent-looking Buccaneers squad coming up, the Jets are in a difficult if not entirely unfamiliar spot.
Jayden Daniels MRI raises questions
Week 2 was not kind to the Washington Commanders. Besides losing 27-18 to the Packers on Thursday night, there are now also questions about quarterback and reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. According to a report from Friday, Daniels underwent an MRI on his knee after the game.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn will address the media on Monday, and presumably give an update about his team’s QB1. Needless to say, any injury announcement would be a concern given how important Daniels is to the team’s offensive operation.
If he is forced to miss time, either in practice or an actual game, the Commanders have former first-round draft pick Marcus Mariota and career journeyman Josh Johnson as backup options on their roster.
Dillon Gabriel era loading?
The 0-2 Cleveland Browns are very much in quarterback purgatory at the moment. Joe Flacco and the team’s offense, after all, looked abysmal in a 41-17 shellacking at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday — so much so that replacing the veteran with rookie Dillon Gabriel could be on the table.
For now, head coach Kevin Stefanski has not expressed any intentions of making a change. However, if the bad performances and the losses start piling up, his hand might be forced.
Whether Gabriel, widely considered a reach in the third round of this year’s draft, would make things better remains to be seen. Of course, Cleveland also has another rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, but Shedeur Sanders playing meaningful snaps in 2025 would mean that the Browns’ season has gone completely off the rails — if it hasn’t already.
Jaxson Dart momentum taking a hit
Their uninspiring 21-6 loss to the Commanders on opening day immediately led to some questions about their quarterback position, but Giants head coach Brian Daboll held onto Russell Wilson heading into Week 2. Instead of inserting first-round rookie Jaxson Dart, the veteran got another shot at running New York’s offense.
He did so in impressive fashion. Wilson went 30-for-41 for 450 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The problem is that his heroics, including a late touchdown to Malik Nabers, were for naught: the Giants still ended up dropping to 0-2 against the Cowboys on Sunday, getting beaten 40-37 in overtime on a field goal set up by Wilson’s lone pick of the day.
Despite the disappointing outcome, the calls for Dart to be elevated to QB1 should die down a bit this week. However, the situation is similar to the Browns’: Wilson is neither a long-term solution at the position for the team, nor immune from being demoted if the Giants’ season keeps trending downward.
If a coaching job needs to be saved, drastic measures might be warranted.
Trouble brewing in Miami?
Speaking of drastic measures, the Dolphins are one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL two weeks into the season. While there are issues across the board, starting QB Tua Tagovailoa has also not been up to the task as Miami’s starting QB: his combined stats in losses to the Colts and Patriots do not necessarily look bench-worthy — 40-for-55, 429 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs — but his EPA per play (-0.121; 31st) is rough and the Dolphins struggled with their offensive operation late against New England on Sunday.
At the moment, it seems that head coach Mike McDaniel is willing to go down with the ship and hold onto Tagovailoa as long as possible. However, as his seat keeps getting hotter, so might Tagovailoa’s as Miami’s QB1.
And if so, say hello to Miami Dolphins starting QB… Zach Wilson?! Oh, my.
